Friday, August 14, 2020

A Once is Enough Finish

 For years, I have been tucking away in a bag any pieces of fabric selvages I came across.  Most of them have been cut off backing pieces.  I am not sure why I started saving them - I guess they were just a "scrap" that I thought I could use one day.



Recently, I finally decided to do something with them.  I sorted them by color and made two 18" strips of each color.  I think I cut the selvages to a width of 5.5".



I finally finished the last two purple strips and finished up the quilt this week.  I even used one of my hoarded favorite prints for the background.  

It is an old Ty Pennington but I just love the color and they way it looks.



I was a little worried the green colored strips would disappear into the background but I think it turned out okay...



When I sewed together the color strips. I simply overlapped the selvages and top-stitched them.  So I don't have a lot of confidence in this quilt.  So I decided to stich the heck out of it with vertical lines.  I don't think anything is going to fall apart now!



I admit the back is a bit of a trainwreck...I pulled a bunch of leftover rainbow chunks and sewed them together.  So the direction of the prints is going different ways.



But I do like the rainbow striped binding I used!



This quilt will probably end up traveling with me and become part of my Scrap Presentation.  It is a good example of using selvages in a colorful but simple way.  I also love that it has a print background fabric - why use a solid when a print will work!

Now that I have worked with selvages, I am pretty sure I will no longer be saving them.  The only ones I will be tucking away are a few of the really long ones for use in the garden.
So enjoy this quilt - it is the last one made with selvages by me :)

Happy Friday Everyone!






22 comments:

Sharon Tucker said...

Hey Cynthia, I applaud you for saving those selvages...I don't have the patience for it :-D This quilt turned out awesome! I really like the print you used for the background and honestly my scrappy backs often have fabrics turned every which way to get the most out of them, LOL

Jannette said...

I have 2 BIG totes of selvedges that I've been saving for years too. I've actually made a few small projects with them - mostly pouches. I've started to be a little more generous when I cut my selvedges - making them about 1" wide. My problem is that I keep fining projects that look like a LOT more fun than tediously sewing little strips together! I love your idea of grouping the selvedges by colour - that's something to consider!

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

I saved selvages for years... and after sewing with them for a small project or two admitted that they were not for me and passed them onto a friend. I'm glad I tried to use them, but I'm glad to not have them saved up taking up room anymore, too. Your technique of overlapping is one I've seen suggested in books, but quilting vertically to reinforce all the seams is a wise choice, too. Congratulations for using up the scraps you had and moving forward!

Julie in GA said...

Selvages are one of the few types of scraps I have never saved, and I'm not about to start now. I have seen some beautiful quilts made from selvages though, and yours turned out beautifully!

Chantal said...

It is absolutely awesome! Congrats! Love the wonky backing. ;^)

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Good on you for tackling and finishing something that I find so delightful. I save selvedges, but I pass them on to others who like to use them.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

That is a fun finish! I like seeing what you chose for the background because I was really curious about what it was going to be! This quilt will be perfect for taking to presentations - quilters will want to look at it up close. I sure would!

Leanne Parsons said...

It's beautiful and I love the print background :) I have never saved selvedges. I love looking at projects made with them, but for some reason the thought of sewing them never appealed to me.

Turid said...

So cool.

Cheryll said...

I've seen selvages used as names on book spines...very effective.
Your selvage quilt looks great...xox

Vicki in MN said...

I have never saved them and I am not going to start!! But kudos to you for using yours🙂 I do love your binding also.

Michele in Harrisburg said...

What fun! It's like a trip down memory lane to see all the fabrics from past projects. Each selvedge a remembrance of all the quilts you've made. Lovely.

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said...

This is an attractive quilt and using it in your scrap quilt presentation sounds like just the right place for it. I could never bring myself to sacrifice so much of the fabric next to the selvage to save them for a project. Rather I save the narrower par that I cut off backings and use it to tie up projects, scrapes, bindings, and even as ties on gift wrap. I've used in the garden as well to tie up vegetables. They last an amazingly long time. Congratulations on yet another finish.

Jayne said...

I love how it turned out though! I've saved very few selvages over the years, just ones that are too cool to toss! Thankfully solid fabric doesn't have them or else I'd be in big trouble! Kudos for making it through an entire quilt when it would have been so easy to stop after a few blocks!

MissPat said...

I'm not a selvage saver, but I've seen some very creative quilts made with them. Good for you to decide you don't need to save them any more. I think a few other quilters have made similar decisions, but there are always more willing to give it a try.
Pat

sandi s said...

I love your quilt! That is such a great way to use your salvages. I save them to but have no idea what to do with them. This seems like a good way for me to. I love the scrappy back too. Hugs,

The Joyful Quilter said...

You found a great way to use those selvages! I don't blame you for eliminating this type of scrap from your storage system, though. I made a few mug rugs and called it quits.

Linda said...

Awesome and creative use of selvages! Love it! I used them for various causes, tying up garden plants, wrapping up rolled quilts for gifting, as ribbons on packages...etc. Strong and useful little buggers!

Quilter Kathy said...

Oh my goodness I love love love this quilt! You have totally inspired me to start working on my selvage collection! I have made small projects with selvages before, but not a large quilt. Thanks for the inspiration... I think I will try it using a quilt-as-you-go method.

Louise said...

I'm so glad you stitched and documented this cute quilt, so now I don't need to repeat your experiment! Selvages have never called me, but I know some people love to keep them. Variety is the spice of life! :)

Astrid said...

Love it! Great way of using selvages. I have two shoe boxes full of selvages and the only way I have used some of them is in the garden. I think it is time to attack those two boxes.

Anonymous said...

I love it! I always wondered why people were saving them. I thought about saving them too, but I never did since I didn't know what for. Now I know.

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